Rock Lee's Love
by Forget-Me-Not FanFics
Summary: Miyako Hanajima is not you average ninja. She has a dark past she is currently trying to run from. The question is, will she be able to? Follow her and Rock Lee as they battle her past and her curse together. Rock Lee/OC (Rated M for later chapters)
1. Intro

**A/N: Okay so this has to be at least my third time rewriting this story. I first came up with the concept in 6th grade (about 7 years ago) so the base of it was originally very Mary Sue. ****However****, now that I have gotten older I have looked back at this glittery pink lump of horrible ideas and refurbished it into something I believe will prove to be very interesting. It is in fact a Lee/OC fic, but you will see some other side character romances that I may expand on in other works or side stories. I hope you all enjoy~**

Intro:

Team Gai was chosen for a rather odd mission that would ultimately alter all their lives more than they could have imagined. Both Rock Lee and TenTen had already gained the title of Chunin; Neji himself had advanced beyond their rank and was now a Jonin along with their sensei Might Gai. The group came to the Sunagakure for a recruit mission. They were told that a young girl named Miyako Hanajima who was vaguely related to the leaf village wished to join their ranks as a leaf village ninja. Their task was to determine her skill level and motives for joining the village so late in her life. They were instructed to discern whether she was a double agent, an outlaw, or just a harmless girl in need of a home. The only lead they had to locate the girl in the vast village of Sunagakure was a small photograph about a year old on a warrant for her arrest. The entire team was uneasy about letting a supposed criminal join their side until they saw the picture. On the old paper was the picture of a 14 year Miyako. She was beautiful, but not in a flamboyant sense. Rather than have pouty lips or high cheekbones like most women who were deemed ravishing in magazines, she had a face with softer lines where one feature eased into another. According to the information on the warrant she was about 5 foot 2 with very light blue, verging on white eyes and dark black hair down to her waist. The team was told by the Hokage that the warrant was a fake and made by her brother-in-law in means of capturing her. Miyako had traveled throughout the land and was just about to leave the Village Hidden in the Sand in search of a new home when she learned of her mother's decent. It turned out that her mother was a member of the Hyuga clan who left the family for a reason still unknown to her daughter. Miyako sent a letter to the Hokage immediately begging that the Hokage let her stay and provide sanctuary from her brother. She spun her tale piece by piece, letter by letter. Lady Tsunade understood her predicament completely and dispatched team Gai. However, after Naruto learned that this girl may join his team as a replacement for Sasuke, he insisted on joining them so he could check out her skills himself.


	2. Chapter 1: First Impressions

Chapter 1: First Impressions… Often Suck

The four versatile ninja (and one incapacitated Naruto) were finally in reach of the Village Hidden in the Sand. A day or two in the desert was nothing to Team Gai and their rigorous survival training but to Naruto it was pure Hell, especially when they refused to slow down for the "annoying little Genin that just HAD to tag along" (Neji Hyuga). The moment Naruto got past the gates he began searching the area for anyone selling water. Less than 3 seconds into his search he saw a beautiful teenager standing before a rug that displayed food. The girl was about an inch shorter than him and wore loose and plain civilian clothing. Her hair was cut very short, almost like a boy's, and atop her head was a newsboy hat. The only reason Naruto knew it was in fact a girl and not a boy was by looking at her face. It was purely feminine with a small chin, long lashes, and delicate brow. These were more so subconscious observations he made as he approached the girl. He wasn't sure it if was because of her allure or the bottled water placed at her feet.

As he neared her, she called forth to him "Hello sir, can I interest you in a warm meal and a cool drink? I can tell by your wear that you have just come through the dessert." Naruto looked down and saw that her assumption was not boldly made. He had long removed his orange and black jacket to wrap around his head; subsequently hiding his headband, his clothing had bits of sand caught onto it, and his shirt was nearly drenched through with sweat. He grinned widely and scratched his now pink cheek as he looked at her shimmering blue eyes. As he was about to reply he found that his mouth was so dry he could not produce words.

Naruto jumped back a bit when she offered him a small cup of water 'on the house' but quickly accepted it with a small smile. After he downed the drink with her hand still over his to ease his trembling hand he finally replied to her previous question. "Yeah I would love some food. How much are they?"

The black haired teen grew exited at the prospect of a sale and jumped lightly. She put the cup down and answered thoughtfully "50 ryō each but it's only 150 ryō for five since it's getting late and I need to get rid of this inventory, plus you look starved." She giggled when his stomach rumbled to confirm her hypothesis. "The meals consist of a drink and a bento box that contains a protein of your choice, rice, and three mochi."

Naruto reached into his pocket to grab Gama-chan as she spoke. After procuring the frog wallet he announced loud enough for all of Team Gai, who was now hiding on the rooftop across from the saleswoman, to hear him say "Gee thanks for the deal, I'll take five! What kind of bento do you have?"

The girl's gentle smile turned into full blow grin at his words. "I have chicken, beef, pork, vegetarian, and ramen. The drinks are Tea, Water, and Coffee!" She then showed him the warm lunches she had and he got one of each. He also grabbed four waters and a piping hot tea for Neji (he was the only guy on the squad that didn't share his water with Naruto after his supply had dried up).

The young lady thanked him many times and bowed slightly to him. Her eyes then flickered to the rooftop where they rested for a bit. She narrowed her eyes, knowing she was being watched. After the presence she sensed had left she looked back to her most recent customer who was now walking down the street. The teenager bit her lip lightly before she felt a small creature crawl up her body and onto her shoulder. When a familiar ferret nuzzled her neck she smiled.

"How goes gate watching?" the bright red ferret asked lightly so as not to draw attention to itself. "Anyone strange come into town?"

"Hey Nami, gate watching isn't going as good as I figured." Miyako replied. "I sensed people watching me from up on the rooftop." She jerked her head up slightly to direct the ferret to the offending building. "I didn't get a look at them, but I would have to say four upper level ninja." Miyako sighed and knelt down to adjust the bento that lay on the rug. "I really thought we would be safe here, I haven't seen a single flyer with my face on it since we arrived almost a year ago. Evidently Sachio finally decided to stop kidding around and hired some professional ninja."

"Should we pack up and go?" The small creature stood on its hind legs as the girl altered her display slightly to keep herself occupied.

"No, I don't want to miss those leaf ninjas. Lady Tsunade promised me protection from Sachio and we can trust her. Remember, she is good friends with Aunt Yuki." Miyako giggled lightly behind her hand and the ferret snickered and ran in a circle. "It's amazing that they are such good friends after what Yuki did to her." Miyako adjusted the cap that hid her long hair as she ran over old stories her aunt used to tell her. Humming lightly to herself, she stood back up fully and resumed calling out to the people that passed her, secretly standing watch over the entrance of Sunagakure to make sure that her sister and her were safe.

Naruto walked along the street with his arms full of food and a look of bliss on his face. He was pulled out of his daydream of the pretty girl who sold him the food when he was yanked into a dim alleyway. Naruto watched Gai, Neji, and TenTen converse in harsh whispers to one another before his attention was put to Lee, the one who tugged him into the dark backstreet. Lee had opened his mouth to speak when Naruto cut him off, rather loudly, when he had finally put two and two together. "Hey guys, I bet that cute girl by the entrance was Miyako Hanajima! Believe it!" Lee covered Naruto's mouth with his bandaged hand and looked beyond the loudmouth to the busy streets of Suna. No heads had turned due to the outburst, thus allowing the Handsome Devil of the Hidden Leaf Village to let out a sigh of relief. Naruto was pulled deeper into the alley where he was met with bemused looks given to him by the other members of his squad.

"Naruto, we figured that out just fine by ourselves. Are you okay?" TenTen asked as she put her hand to his forehead. "Recognizing facial features of a target are one of the more basic things you learn in the academy." Turning to Neji she helped the Genin out of the embarrassing situation of being the last to know by making up an excuse for him. "He is probably severely dehydrated." She said logically as she moved her hand to and fro as if swatting an invisible fly. The other members of the team nodded slightly with a 'Mmhm' as a confirmation of her idea on what happened.

"Well we know she isn't a run of the mill ninja." Neji concurred, bringing them all back to the topic of their previous discussion. "To have sensed our presence even after we hid our chakra, she had to have been on high alert or more skilled than we presumed. Tsunade did mention she was a member of the Hyuga clan, although remotely. Perhaps she has use of the byakugan as well." Neji brought his hands together and rested them against his chin pensively. Everyone became silent as the mulled over what their next course of action should be.

Naruto walked closer to the group and sat down. He exhaled a large sigh as he relaxed on the cool sand of the shaded alley. Looking back up at the group, he saw even Rock Lee's giant eyebrows furrowed in thought. Naruto decided to begin pondering the answer to the question as well. Shifting his gaze down at his feet to begin digging into his mind for his solution, he noticed the copious amounts of food in his hands and recalled what it was for. "Hey Bushy Brows, you hungry?" Naruto asked joyfully as he clicked his feet together. He pulled out the lone ramen bento and blew on it lightly as he resumed talking to the dark haired man. "I got enough for all of us. Which do you want; chicken, pork, vegetarian, or beef?"

Lee opened up his eyes and showed his glittering smile to the knucklehead nin at the promise of food. "Well it is hard to think on an empty stomach." Naruto nodded at the statement while cracking apart his adjoined chopsticks. Lee kneeled down to join the blond and in a matter of minutes, the whole team was enjoying their meals. They slowly devoured their food as it was their first hot and fresh meal in days. The team had long grown tired of the packaged ninja energy bars that tasted like cardboard and wood paste they had to live off of on their trek through the desert.

"What I find hard to believe is that she hasn't even come looking for us yet. It's almost like she finds it normal for people to spy on her." Neji took a sip of his tea and resumed talking. "I have been using my Byakugan to keep an eye on her, and she doesn't seem perturbed in the slightest."

"Who knows, perhaps she doesn't care if people watch her." said Naruto with a mouth full of Ramen. TenTen then and there hit him on the back of the head none too lightly before reminding him not to talk with his mouth full.

"Well let's think carefully everyone. We aren't sure if she is hostile or friendly at this time, so we need to find out her objective in a way that will seem casual." Gai put out the problem to allow the whole group to begin analyzing it and produce a solution.

"I highly doubt interrogating her is in any way subtle." Ten Ten said. "How are we supposed to figure all this out without looking suspicious." At this point, everyone had finished their meal and lowered their heads to begin thinking.

After a few minutes, Naruto jerked his head up and knocked his right fist against his remaining palm with a gleam in his eye. "Hey Neji, ask her out on a date!" He threw the idea out and into the open with no preparation, akin to running blindly through the Forest of Death.

Neji answered in actions. He had long since finished his tea and proceeded to hurl the cup at Naruto's head as he yelled a forceful "HELL NO! Why would I do that?"

Naruto fell back and rubbed at his now throbbing head. He quickly got back on his knees to defend his statement. "Well think about it. On a date you can ask as many questions as you want, do so in a private manner, and get all the facts we need in a matter of hours."

Gai pointed his right index and thumb finger perpendicular to one another and set them on his chin directly under his glittering smile. "It is a truly brilliant plan, but one of you three would need to carry it out seeing as I am not as youthful as her and Ten Ten is a girl." Naruto smirked and chuckled lightly at the praise for his genius idea. He then shot Neji a cocky look and stuck out his tongue to taunt him for thinking he was a fool.

Neji scoffed and stood up after rolling his eyes. "I would rather not participate in this sort of exercise; I am going to check into our hotel." After saying so he walked away, thus leaving Lee and Naruto in the eyes of a curious Ten Ten and Gai.

"Well Naruto I guess it's either you or me" Rock Lee said calmly to Naruto. Naruto nodded as if going along with the serious mood before he sputtered a giggle which soon turned into a full out laugh.

"Eh, how about I take care of this one Bushy Brows. You," He took in a much needed deep breath before standing up. "You have already been turned down by Sakura countless times. How about I save you the time of being blown off once again by this chick and go out with her myself. "Gai scowled and looked down as he shook his head, clearly disappointed in Naruto. Ten Ten herself looked like she was about to rip one of her ears off, but before they could leap into the fray, Rock Lee began talking back.

"True, I may not have 'experience' when it comes to dating." He put emphasis on experience as he began his defense statement in front of the small group. Lee stopped shuffling his feet and stood up, giving him a good two and a half inches over the rambunctious blond "However, it would prove to be good training for when Sakura finally does accept one of my invitations." He said this with a smile slowly forming. "If given this task, I will treat the date itself like a mission and an educational exercise where I perform reconnaissance and learn the ways of dating. My conduct will be purely business like, whereas I fear Naruto will be thoroughly unprofessional. I believe I should be the first to make a formal impression of the leaf village on this Miyako Hanajima."

Naruto turned to see both Ten Ten and Gai nodding in agreement with his justification. He haphazardly threw together a comeback of his own. "What about Sakura? Even if it is all for training, how would she feel if she found out you were making gushy eyes with another girl?" Naruto scrambled for the words.

"Naruto, there is no girl in the world lovelier than Sakura, and I believe that to be an unshakable fact. I doubt this young lady, no matter how beautiful, could ever change how I feel about Sakura." He said this gravely serious to Naruto. Naruto looked over at the silent peanut gallery and stepped aside, a mature air came over him and he nodded to Lee with a small smile forming on his face as he admitted defeat.

"Alright then Bushy Brows, have at it. But you should know in your heart that confidence isn't the only thing you need to get a date with this girl. It does require a certain amount of charm and gumption." Naruto gave him the brief pointers while Lee stared intently at him, absorbing all the newfound information. TenTen quickly shoved Naruto aside after his brief lesson to get in her two cents.

"Lee, just be yourself okay? If there is anything a girl hates, it's a poser. Plus you are far too brutally honest to last more than five minutes pretending to be someone else without slipping up." Ten Ten then gave Naruto a death stare for his dumb advice before turning back to Lee to give him a smile that wished her teammate all the luck in the world. She then proceeded to step aside to let Lee see the lively street just beyond the dim alley. Naruto rejoined him and gave Lee a supportive pat on the back which was returned with a bright grin as he was directed by his companion out into the street. Naruto gave Lee a reassuring smile when they got back into the sun and whispered "good luck" in his ear as Lee was shoved toward his fate.

Lee straitened his chunin jacket to cover his already concealed headband he had wrapped around his waist. The Green Beast knew it would be nearly impossible for him to hide his chakra from Miyako during a date that spanned more than an hour so he may as well be upfront with being a ninja, but leave the village he is from to her imagination. Besides, a ninja visiting the Sand Village was not abnormal so it wouldn't be inconspicuous of him to be one of those traveling nins.

As Lee began his determined stride towards the stand, each step became more challenging for him than the last. His heart began to palpitate uncontrollably and his face flushed a bright red as he began to realize what exactly he was doing. He was about to ask a girl he didn't even know out on a date, in public, without any preparation other than a self-provided pep talk and a 'good luck' from Naruto. When he got within eyesight of Miyako he let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding in when he saw she was occupied with a customer. Taking the much needed time to compose himself, he then continued his stroll to her stand.

The young saleswomen took the newly made money and tucked it into the wallet she had cleverly hidden in her sleeve. Miyako knew she had a customer standing before her, but figured he could wait a second for her to right herself. When she gazed back up she saw an intense looking man staring at her with big bug eyes. At first she was shocked, even jumping up a bit in fear of her safety; it was evident that this man was a strong ninja. But she calmed down when she saw his vulnerable expression and bright pink cheeks.

Lee stood speechless for the longest time. He had walked up to her seemingly without her noticing and was thus given some time to look at her up close. Naruto was right in calling her "that cute girl", she was lovely. Miyako had enchanting big eyes with long lashes, her nose was cute and button like, and she had the most charming smile on as she slipped away the ryō she just earned. He felt his face glow red when she directed those large pale blue eyes toward him. Lee's confidence level was drastically falling by the second after she displayed a shocked expression at his sudden appearance, not unlike Sakura's face at the chunin exam. His waning confidence slowly drove him to give up until she flashed him a bright smile that eased his fear.

Beaming up at the man, probably 5 inches her superior, Miyako opened her mouth to start up the conversation but quickly shut it when he began to talk. "Pardon me for staring," he bowed slightly. "It is just that you are breathtakingly beautiful and I could not help but find myself speechless from the moment I laid eyes on you." He straightened his posture and looked at her now slightly flushed cheeks as she whispered a thank you and fiddled with her hands. Lee was shocked, how was this happening? He didn't even process what he was saying; it just seemed to flow from his mouth naturally. And to top it off, it seemed to be working. "My name is Rock Lee, and I would like to know if you could to accompany me on a date later tonight." He finished off with a charming smile and his nice guy pose.

Miyako glanced up at the perfect stranger and had to admit, he was quite the charmer. Couple that with the fact she probably wasn't going to stay in the Sand Village for much longer, it wouldn't hurt for her to go out with this Rock Lee guy. Whether they hit it off or hit a wall, they would probably have to go their separate ways anyway so it wouldn't be a bother. It was just a date after all, and he seemed far too gentlemanly to press her to do anything. Miyako looked up at his boyish face and smiled. He was pretty cute when he blushed like that. "Sure, I would love to."

Lee's thumbs up, slowly fell as did his grin. Did she just say yes? She did… Lee jutted his fist in the air and gave off a bright toothy grin. In his mind he was bouncing off the walls with excitement because not only was he going on a date with a beautiful young lady, he was also helping the mission at hand. He felt so invigorated he could run ten thousand laps around Konoha. His mind began to whirl with thoughts of how shocked the others would be and how proud Gai Sensei would be of him.

"Where should we meet up?" Miyako asked, bringing Lee back to reality. He was definitely someone who wore his heart on his sleeve. She still held onto her own smile from when she had accepted his invitation, which she was now glad to have done. He seemed so spirited, if anything else it would be a date she would never forget.

Lee felt like he had just run headfirst into a wall when he realized that he had only visited this Village a handful of times and didn't know a thing about any of the food places, let alone the first thing to do on a date. His heart was racing and he could tell that his face was going to betray him and turn an even deeper crimson. Just then it occurred to him.

"How about I meet you back here in 7 hours for dinner," Lee replied, thinking it would be more than enough time to get a lay of the land and find a nice private restaurant to secretly interrogate her on their date.

"Ok then." Miyako said with a little blush on her cheeks. Lee then bowed formally turned around to begin walking. "Would Lee-san like to know my name?" She giggled to herself. He had been up on his high horse for quite a while; she just had to tease him. His reactions were so funny.

Lee did a 360 and bowed once again, only this time much lower and repeatedly. "I am so sorry." He exclaimed rather loudly with red stained cheeks. Aww, he was embarrassed. "May I know the name of my enchantress?" he asked, opening one eye to peek up at her. His eyes then became occupied as he noticed a ferret making its way up her body to rest on her shoulder. She smiled and tilted his head up with her finger, coaxing him to stand up straight.

"Lee-san, you apologize an awful lot, especially when it isn't necessary." Her smile turned soft and endearing. Miyako answered his question as she tickled her ferret under its chin subconsciously. "My name is Miyako Hanajima."

"Then I shall see you later tonight, Miyako-san." His face was still flushed red, not only out of embarrassment but also out of fear. He had forgotten to ask her name because he already knew it. Hopefully she believed he had simply overlooked asking out of absentmindedness. Lee turned to leave after she gave him a slight bow herself and a wave goodbye.

Lee began his walk back to the alley, a bright smile upon his face, his clenched fists shaking with excitement. A few moments had passed before he apprehended what had just happened and his downward spiral of anxiety began. Tonight he was going to be on his first date! He looked down at his uniform, knowing he would need to change into something more casual, but based on previous statements he had little to no sense of fashion. Not to mention he needed to find a decent restaurant to host the whole event.

"Congrats Bushy Brows!" Naruto rushed towards the now stagnant spandex clad man." Wish it had been me, but good for you. Besides, perhaps dating this Miyako chick will finally get you over Sakura. Not that you were much of a rival when it comes to her affections anyway." Naruto said lightheartedly to try and coax a passionate retort or even a smile from his still silent friend. "C'mon it's a date, not a fight to the death."

"Yeah, it is just a date. What could go wrong?" Lee asked with a ghost of a smile on his lips, he was currently a mere shell of his former confident self. Rock Lee knew just what could go wrong. She could cancel last minute, reveal the whole thing to be a joke just to laugh in his face, or make a scene in the middle of the restaurant and splash water in his face for kicks. Lee knew how many ways it could all go wrong because he had had nightmares about things like this happening on his dates with Sakura.

"Well, well If it isn't my most youthful student," Gai roared as he came out of the alley to greet two of his charges. "I take it things went well?" As soon as Lee had left he had taken the liberty of locating Neji to drag the Hyuga back and give TenTen, Naruto, and him a play by play of what had happened as he watched with his Byakugan.

"Gai Sensei… What should I do? I have never gone out on a date with anyone. Was I a fool to take this mission?" Lee asked with a hollow voice.

"Of course not Lee, in fact you were downright brave to accept this assignment. Why by going out there you could have saved Naruto's life from a brutal ninja." Gai said with the upmost confidence. He clapped a hand on Lee's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Lee looked up at Gai's confident gaze and smiled back, now fully rejuvenated.

"Or ruined his chances with a hot chick," Naruto muttered as an alternate ending to Gai's statement.

"But Gai Sensei, I barely know this village and in a few hours I am expected to take a Miyako-san to a proper restaurant to interrogate her, get some casual clothing, and figure out what kind of conduct I am supposed to have on this date." Lee said as his headache began to grow.

"Lee," Gai said slapping his shoulder to draw his prize pupil's attention back to him. "I don't want you to think about the mission at all on this date, I want you to enjoy yourself like you would if this was a date with any other girl. And I don't want to hear another word about it. I'm going to look around town for you okay Lee, and I will be sure to find the perfect place. Naruto, I need you to get Lee to loosen up for this evening so he isn't so timid. Ten Ten will help you get something to wear and run you through proper dating conduct, everything will be fine. We are all here for you Lee." He flashed his student a toothy grin.

"Hai Gai Sensei," Lee said as he put his hand to his forehead as his sensei departed to begin his search for the restaurant. Perhaps everything would go well. Lee turned to look over at his friends and saw them all smiling back at him reassuringly.

He flashed them back one of his trademark grins that exuded confidence. Yeah, everything was going to be just fine.


End file.
